Hey Alonso, hold a grudge much?

 

Don't be so sure that Alonso won't block Hamilton. He absolutely hates him, after all! When there was a question of which Ferrari driver would get the championship, and it was Michael in those years, Driver #2 was expected to hold back the competition. I'd bet Alonso would do the same. He has nothing to lose, since he's out of contention, and so is Renault. Would he incur a position penalty? Who cares? Ditto cash--it would probably be an under-the-table payment from Ferrari.

 

Wow.
Conspiracy theory run wild!

 

 

Felipe Massa is a victim of his own making when under pressure. In this particular incident with Bourdais, he chose to force the issue rather than wait.

He (Massa) had just turned the race's fastest lap and was on the move when he came upon the hapless Toro Rosso driven by Bourdais. All Felipe Massa had to do was to excercise a bit of patience, but that seems to be a commodity that he lacks.

Wait till you clear the corner and then pass the STR car... The Ferrari is definitely quicker (as proved by the pace he was setting) and getting by would have been relatively easy as it seems that Bourdais would not have put up much of a fight under the circumstances.

I understand that Massa was on a flyer and in the zone (lap times) and that this can sometimes cloud your judgement but truthfully, Massa should know better! What he did could be construed as a rookie mistake, nothing less.

Add to that his (Massa's) pass on Mark Webber, where he chose to go to the inside of the Red Bull (subsequently putting his Ferrari against the pit wall & almost locking wheels with the Red Bull) and taking the very tight inside line (risking an off or worse) on a driver that is known to be difficult to overtake and you can see that he is not using his head... rather he is driving on adrenaline and testosterone!

You are right kurvhugr, these are foolish mistakes, the likes of which I would expect from younger, less seasoned drivers, as found in the lesser formulae such as Formula Ford, Star Mazda, Formula BMW, F3, or even A1GP.

I agree RaceTripper!

Felipe Massa is a fast driver, there is no denying the fact. He knows how to hustle a car around a circuit, BUT to be World Champion it takes more than just raw speed!

The old racing maxim of... To finish first, one must first finish applies here. Making foolish mistakes and taking unnecesary risks are not the qualities found in a world champion.

Hopefully Massa will mature (stranger things have happened) and then we can see the Diamond in the Rough become the polished stone...

 

And the hits just keep on coming.....

Next year's French Formula One Grand Prix could be cancelled after the French Motorsports Federation (FFSA) said it would stop financing the event.

A statement from the FFSA said: "After examining the economic situation, the FFSA is to stop being the financial promoters of a F1 Grand Prix."

Unless a replacement promoter is found, the French Grand Prix will not feature on the FIA calendar.

The race is due to be held at Magny-Cours on 28 June 2009.
Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone criticised the venue after this year's race but it was given a stay of execution despite speculation of a move to a track nearer to Paris.

Magny-Cours, in a predominantly rural area in the middle of France, has always struggled to provide the facilities expected of a modern F1 venue.

 

I suppose you're right. Bernie seems determined to pick places in the middle and far east. I guess that will make India a given. When will all 18 (19?) races be on new Bernie-tracks?

Hmmm. Can we get Sarah to take a bead on him? Joking...sorta.

 

I would agree that the over-taking car has to figure out how to get around. But a car leaving the pits must at some point yield to a faster car...every track event I have every been in runs much the same way...else moving into faster traffic is considered a block.

 

Egads !

 

Bernie and his partners want the max $$ they can get, that mean races produced by governments, and not promoters.

Like the housing bubble that burst, I think F1 is heading along the same lines. The sponsors and manufacturers will have a "last straw" moment, and a new series will be born.

 

Love the latest from Kimi:

"Raikkonen said he firmly believes he could have ended his winless run but for the first corner incident at Fuji (pictured) that saw him forced off the track" ........But then Lewis might have won had Massa not spun him.

Look back at previous F1 races through the years.........this year's starts have been quite tame, the first corner runs have always been a breath holding, nail biting affair........yeah Lewis' move was very reminscent of the Schu and perhaps a bit desperate, but it was a driver trying to win, taking the chance, rolling the dice for the 50-50 chance he would get through. Do I recall a certain Ferrari smoking the tires into the first turn at Hungary ? Had there been more cars around the results would have been the same.....

The reports from the drivers whining reminds me of Dale Earnhardt Sr who constantly "rubbed" the other drivers, that was considered "cool" by the fans who called him the "Intimidator" but when someone "rubbed" or "bumped" him it was "How dare they do that" blah blah blah blah......whatever.

I don't hear much whining coming from Lewis or Heikki, they're trying there best and just getting on with the show. As Lewis said "clearly not everyone is going to publicly support me, and why should you praise your opponents?"

and.....hats off to Ron !

"He's a racing driver, and that's what makes him the driver he is"

"He's going to fight for positions at every opportunity, and you're not going to stop him doing that."

Nothing like total support

 

Rain this weekend? I love the lack of predictability on a rainy F1 weekend.

"It will be partially cloudy on Thursday with an ambient temperature high of 25 degrees Celsius, but showers are predicted for the remaining three days as the temperatures fluctuate between 27 and 25 degrees."

 

Only as long as it's for McBrat. I would think Heikki isn't feeling the love.

 

Dennis has always supported his drivers to race rather than whine......perhaps that's why JPM didn't fit in well

Looks like Lew is quickest in practice !

My brother used to ***** about Senna, always aggressive, always trying to be the fastest and always trying to win, no matter what, many many times controversial, many times taking himself out......sound familiar ?

What a great season (mind the stewards)

 

So much interesting news today:

French GP was cancelled by it's organizers for next year (Hello Canada! There's an open slot now!)

Eddie Jordan is saying that McBrat "needs allies." Yeah, like that's going to happen. Maybe his teammate.

 

Better to go at alone anyway, then you can say you did it yourself.......

 

Kubica will surprise.

 

I like this article detailing the history of the Overtaking Working Group and its intended effects on the cars for next season. Sounds like the cars will look rather different.....smaller rear wings but bigger front wings and almost no visible aero tricks between them.....if I read it right.

Applying science and commonsense to overtaking

 

Anyone else think:

A. The picture quality from China sucks eggs?
B. The Aussie guy filling in for Bob Varsha is dry as toast? Sounds like he's calling a cricket match.

 

On the positive side:

1) Lewis dominated and won
2) Lewis thanked the team profusely
3) Lewis thanked his family and friends
4) Lewis has remained positive and has avoided making comments against other drivers.

What more can the guy do ?

The race was far from thrilling after the first corner but then the thrilling ones end up with steward intervention.

Here comes Brazil and ..........

 

Hum, "McBrat" that's an interesting characterization. I would assume that you're referring to Hamilton. Of course we all have the right to our opintions but I'm curious, when and why did he become "McBrat"?

 

I like Leigh Diffey. He's part of the Speed crew that covers ALMS, Speed World Challenge, and Grand Am. I think he does a great job, is well informed, and knows racing. I like Bob Varsha too, but he does get mixed up about the facts at times.

The race is what was dry as toast. It was really pretty dull.

 

As one of the folks who dislikes the fellow, I could jump into this pretty easily. However, I'd rather not see this thread go down that road again (for those who missed it, yes, we've been there before).

Let's avoid this topic...shall we?

 

Read my post again. It WAS benign. I'm just seeking some clarification. Don't read more in to it than is actually there. Since when did we start banning questions and answers. I'm not being critical of anyone . . . except maybe you.

 

Speaking of re-reading posts, try mine again as well. Your question wasn't the problem and I didn't direct my comment toward you in particular.

I'm asking everyone to not jump on the "here's why (fill in the blank) is a (fill in the blank)" name-calling band wagon again. It's been done before and I'd rather keep this thread civil.